Some tips for a race day

Today, I ran Osaka Marathon 2026. So, I want to share some tips on a race day and I want you to consider what I'm going to tell you guys. Probably some things help you.

By the way, here is my lap times and goal time↓↓

As you can see, it was completely even pace.

If you want to make the best result, try to make an even pace. This is the first tip. Of course, it is impossible to know how fast you can run before a race.

However, here's my advice.

First, use your instinct and feel your body. Many runners run based on watches. It's OK to check your watch sometimes. But don't rely on it. If you train well, your body knows many more things than your watch.

Here's my simple questions.

Do you need your watch to know how hungry you are?

Does your watch tell you how thirsty you are?

Does your watch tell you how sleepy you are?

Does your watch tell you which woman or man you need?

Absolutely not!

Then why does your watch tell you how fast you are able to run through?

Your watch tells you how fast you are running right now, but never tell you how fast you should run.

Also, I want to ask you one thing.

Can you run as fast as you want by checking your watch?

If I check my watch and make 3:00/km pace as long as I want, then I will check my watch every kilometer.

But the truth is, whether I check my watch or not, the result would be the same if I try my best already.

Just use your physical feeling and sensation just like you use your instinct to know how hungry you are, how thirsty you are and how sleepy you are.

One of big problems of checking your watch is, if things do not go on as you planed or as you wanted, you get nervous and your running style gets tight because of it. As a result, it will decrease your running economy and because of that, you get slower.

So again, if you want to make the best result, you should do your best. But, if you check your watch and change the pace according to it, you have less chances to do your best.

Always, go for your feeling is the best way to do your best.

Second, do some endurance runs at your subjective marathon race effort in the last 2 months before a marathon. The distance would be 15-21km.

If you run 15km at your subjective marathon race effort, then you'll know if it is too easy or too hard somehow. Don't judge if it is too fast or too slow for your goal pace. Just judge if it is too hard or too easy. That's all.

Again, don't think about it logically. Just feel it. You can feel if you need more sleep or more water or foods if you are not greedy, right?

One of the best things about running is, you can liberate from being greedy. Meaning, you'll know what you exactly need. Some people are very greedy. They don't know what they exactly need.

They are desperate for more and more things and they will never be happy.

Anyway, the more endurance runs at your subjective marathon race effort you do, the exacter your feeling gets.

Make an even pace as much as possible. This is the first advice.

The second advice is, don't rely on carbohydrates on a race day. Today, I ate nothing before the race and had no gels or foods during the race although I drunk glucose drink.

It is impossible to restore glycogen right before a race or during a race. If you want to restore more glycogens, you need to eat more carbohydrates at least one night before a race. Usually, 72-20 hours before a race.

It is OK to have a light breakfast before a race or eat something during a race. But you need to understand that that does not help you. The only organ which gets a benefit by taking glucose is a brain.

Our brains need some glucose and if we take some glucose, the brain turns on a little bit.

Exactly speaking, your brain does not turn on, but it prevents to get your brain turn off. If you do not take glucose for a long time, your brain starts saving energy by decreasing your performance.

If you take a little glucose even if it is glucose drink, it will prevent to turn your brain off.

So, it is OK to have a light breakfast and take gels during the race if it does not cause a stomach problem. But don't rely on it because a lot of runners misunderstand it and get a stomach problem.

Don't rely on gels or carbohydrates on a race day. This is the second tip.

The third one is, always stay positive. Appreciate that you are able to run today. Runners very often struggle more than they need because they think about negative things like heavy legs, leg soreness, heavy body or still long way to go etc.

But imagine, there are people who are not able to run nevertheless they want to run.

There are many people who cannot enjoy sports because of war, lack of foods, water, houses or simply because they are too poor.

Also, there are people who already died and we are going to die one day.

In Japanese, there is a saying 'Some cherry blossoms are gone away and the left cherry blossoms are also going to be gone away'.

Maybe you lost some people in your life, I did too. But one day we are going to die too.

Considering that, we are lucky and happy for that we are able to run today.

Also, remember that we are the youngest in rest of our lives. Considering that, if we do not try to do our best, when do we make our best?

Always today is the best day to make our best.

So, appreciate that you are able to run today and if you keep appreciating that, you always stay positive during the race.

This also means, you can stay away from negative thought during the race.

If you feel your leg pain, just think 'Ah I'm running. I'm happy and I'm running which means that my body is in a good condition'.

Also today, every time I passed by a kilometer mark, I thought in my mind 'Yes!! I already ran X km! I made a good job! I feel good now!'.

This is what I thought today.

I hope these tips help you.

Lastly, if you want to learn more about how to get faster, please click here to download my free e-book 'The 3 factors you get faster dramatically without any injuries and overtraining'. So, you'll know something helpful and most amateur runners don't know.